Toast

 

Feeling cozy while viewing my new, hot-off-the-press, video of last November's bonfire at Fruitlands Museum. Though heat is in very short supply these days, I'm feeling the warmth of the past year, carrying forward all I experienced and learned during 2013.

(click here if above link is blocked)

As the Queen of Mixed Metaphors, it feels right to say that 2013 came in like a lamb and went out like a lion. Beginning with an installation at DanforthArt in January, an energizing VSC residency in February, a show with my beloved coaching group A Room of Our Own in March, countless workshops, HIVE, Morphology with Kay Hartung in June at FSFA, solo exhibition The Nobility of Things at Fruitlands during the summer, The Order of the Universe at Wheaton College in the fall, 65 Degrees at Nave Gallery Annex during the holidays, a studio move to Miller Street Studios in December and several deinstallations the week before Christmas.

Hence, the title for the post, and the reason for my long absence. The past 2 months have been all about cooking, packing, unpacking, putting up, taking down and more cooking. All good. 

This January is more like a snail or a tortoise. I'm looking forward to a slow, thoughtful 2014 shared with dear friends, colleagues and family. Let's see if I can keep up the pace.

Happy New Year everyone!

Out with a Bang!

I'm long overdue in writing about the End of Season Bonfire event at Fruitlands. We had a marvelous time and the bonfire exceeded all of our expectations. There's a complete album of the event here and here.

It was a true collaborative event beginning with the generous assistance of the Fruitlands Facilities crew and Mike Volmar the chief curator. I also had help from Marketing Director Mary Delaney, her son Lawrence and Wayne, on day of, with the addition of many more layers of wrapping. Lots of giggling by all of us as we maneuvered large balls of fiber around an approximately 12x14 foot bundle that was  sitting on a hill... get the picture? It just goes to prove that anything is possible when we all work together.

More collaborating that evening – The audience was asked to write down offerings, or things they wanted to let go of, onto slips of paper that they tucked into the bundle before the lighting. Everyone totally embraced this idea and you could see a lot of thought invested into each and every offering. All ages could identify with the transformation of the fire and of the ritual.

The S'mores were a big hit with well organized bags of ingredients available for anyone who wanted to toast their own. And the sun offered us up another beautiful setting as well.

The Drummers des Lookie Lookie ushered us into the night with their magical percussion. The rhythms grounded the event, creating a audible center for everyone to gather while waiting for the big moment of lighting the fire.

And then the moment arrived for Mike to strategically light the bundle from a point within the base. The fire spread slowly and powerfully at first before it shot up to heights of about 50 feet or more. Many camera phones were present to document it.

The fire department is close by to contain and extinguish at the end of the evening.

I too made my offerings to the fire by saying my farewell to a meaningful and productive year as the 2013 Artist-in-Residence at Fruitlands Museum. It's been an amazing time of learning, working and making new friends. I look forward to many more connections with the museum staff and public in the future.

Bonfire at Fruitlands Museum

In Native American culture the fire ceremony symbolizes a transformation from the old to the new. With my residency coming to an end, I’m excited to be able to celebrate the completion of my year at Fruitlands Museum with this event. My final installation at the Fruitlands is a large wood and fiber sculpture that we will set ablaze as the sun sets in the Nashua River Valley. Participants will have the opportunity to offer up their own messages, letting go of the old or welcoming the new with inscriptions on paper and twigs tucked into the sculpture. Drummers de Lookie Lookie, a latin percussion group, will usher in the night when we light the sculpture to send our messages towards the heavens. 

Saturday, November 2, 2013

5:30-8 pm

5:30-6p   Write up messages and add to the fire.
6 p          Lighting of fire

Free Event

And while you’re out here… make time to attend the Craft Beer Tasting event at 4 pm. Click here for tickets.

Rick Barry, Ken Winokur and Vicente Lebron collectively bring well over a century of drumming experience in every style, from Afro-Caribbean and rock to ska to film soundtrack music. They have been key members of bands including the Alloy Orchestra, Bim Skala Bim and the Either/Orchestra, and together now power Lookie Lookie, a band reviving Latin Bugalu, a crossover style from the Groovy 1960s.

Status Report

Before

RELIQUARY is an outdoor installation at Fruitlands Museum that consists of a large bronze 3D assemblage and 16 bronze fiber balls. It was installed on September 27 and has been exposed to the weather for almost a month. When I visited 10 days ago, the verdigris patina surface color had intensified due to the rainy weather that increased the oxidation of the metal finish. 

I love having this opportunity to test out my trompe l'oeil castings. The museum public is convinced that these are bronze statues. A trick of perception by memorializing the actual things with paint, wax and patina; rather than an indirect representation of them as if they were cast from traditional bronze. It gives an imagined weight to the agency of the everyday object.

 After

Tomorrow I'll be back at Fruitlands for the HIVE finale. My residency is drawing to a close. It's been a very prolific and rewarding experience but we're not through yet. On November 2 from 5-8 there will be a big bonfire event with an interactive activity and three amazing percussionists to accompany us. I will post more about this soon.

Developing

This week I had the type of day that I dreamed about last winter when I was planning my residency at Fruitlands Museum. It would be a day of sunshine, beautiful scenery and engaging work on something fun — and that's exactly how it happened this past Wednesday.

I've always wanted to experiment with cyanotypes and anthotypes and decided to take advantage of  the perfect weather conditions we were finally experiencing. 

Anthotype is a very delicate photographic process that uses the photosensitive material of plants found in the garden to create a photographic image. All you need to add is water, sunshine and a lot of patience and time.

The plants are crushed and mixed with alcohol or water to make a light sensitive emulsion. Watercolor paper is coated with the emulsion and image can be created by exposing the paper under the sun for a few days or weeks. The plant juice undergoes chemical or physical changes when it is exposed to light, changing its color. Some fade and some darken.

I worked with marigold petals from my garden (above), blueberries and goldenrod from the meadows at Fruitlands. With my mortar and pestle I ground up the petals adding only drops of denatured alcohol to create a paste. Then I strained with cheesecloth to remove the solids and brushed the remaining liquid dye onto watercolor paper. After the paper dried, I placed a sage leaf from the Shaker Garden to create a photogram, assembled the contact frame and set in the sun to expose. I had enough to create a second photogram from an artifact that I found entrance of the longhouse - some fur from the hide of an animal. According to one of the interpreters it could be skunk or could be deer. I'm expecting to have something to show after a couple of weeks of exposure to strong sun.

My darkroom was the Longhouse at the museum:
The Native American longhouse used to teach children and familes about the way Natives lived in harmony with nature and the changing seasons. For thousands of years, Native people in this area would have lived in houses made with tree bark, saplings and other plants. We made this longhouse using traditional tools to gather locally available building materials.

 

I set up a laboratory outside on the grass and the inside provided the perfect shelter when I needed to be away from the strong sun. In the photo above you can see my impromptu darkroom... two opaque black plastic contractor bags from Home Depot... just the right thing to block light and allow the dyes to dry before assembling the contact frames and exposing to the sun.

Also experimented with cyanotypes in an attempt to capture some shadows from HIVE. These were not quite as successful but I gleaned some information to bring the idea forward. It might be best to try this in a controlled in-studio setting using UV lights instead. There were too many variables in conditions between exposures to create anything worth saving. But it was fascinating to watch the development of image happen right before your eyes. Want to continue this for sure.

I plan to keep working with anthotype and hope to create images of and with objects at Fruitlands. I'm attracted to the slowness of it - the long exposures, the ritual of mashing, the methodology to the process, the simplicity of the ingredients. 

This residency is a gift. I am affected by the culture and heritage here with only a few short months left to take it all in....

[shel-ter]

noun

1.

something beneath, behind, or within which a person, animal, or thing is protected from storms, missiles, adverse conditions, etc.; refuge.

I'm thinking about shelters as an animal behavior. A survival mechanism of scavenging your surrounds and collecting objects to create a haven. Birds make structures by gathering all sorts of items. Bottle caps, shells, nuts, twigs and glass are used to make their place of security. Bower birds take it even further and use their shelter building skills to express their identities during complex mating rituals. The shinier, prettier, more colorful and interesting their abode - the more females they attract. Sound familiar?

I think you can see where this is going. As humans we objectify things for our own needs. In my show at Fruitlands Museum, THE NOBILITY OF THINGS, I talk about the fact that objects are created for two purposes - to be used and to be possessed. They represent memory, science, social history and heritage. As Daniel Miller says "Objects make us as much as we make objects".

So... a can opener, baskets, computers, toys, furnishings, clothing and other homegoods all serve the dual purpose of utility and expression. We use them for what they are, but also to define who we are. Even more, materiality seems to be an impulse found in all types of shelters... even those without an actual roof overhead.

I'm just beginning to process these ideas and starting to see parallels within contemporary society, politics and recent economic disasters. How one can be blinded by both desire and greed in the pursuit of seeking refuge from the elements.

I've been collecting objects for the outdoor sculptures to be installed at Fruitlands this summer. Animal shelters of human objects that one might find in the wild. We'll see how it goes... stay tuned for updates!

It takes a HIVE

Came across this quote the other day and it made me realize how those of us that work with our hands and with each other are part of life's best kept secret.

How belonging to something larger provides us with purpose, satisfaction, and more importantly connection. Creating a meditative space to quiet the mind and open up self consciousness. To break down the environmental noise and ease into yourself and your potential.

This is exactly the feedback I hear from participants of HIVE. Additionally, some have mentioned that they achieve a state of calm when working at a HIVE gathering that they don't have the ability to achieve with traditional meditation technique.

It takes a HIVE.... my new mantra.

Imagine if everyone could take the time to quiet down, think, listen and connect. I think I know what this author is getting at.

Our world is in a precarious state, and we desperately need each person alive to feel empowered, to have a real sense of his or her inner creativity. And when we witness what we have been able to make - something that never before existed - we are more inclined to see ourselves as creators, as people who can make a difference in the world.  —Maggie Oman Shannon

Please join our HIVE. We have a gathering scheduled for tomorrow at FRUITLANDS MUSEUM and several more between now and the end of October.

Thursdays, July 11 & 25, 3PM - 5PM
Thursday, August 8 5PM-7PM
Wednesday, September 11 2PM-4PM
Saturday, Sept 21 10AM-12PM
Thursday, October 10 1PM-3PM
Monday, October 14 1PM-3PM
Thursday, October 24, 2PM-4PM

Learn more about HIVE here, here and here.

Cornered

 It's been an eventful week:

Wonderful article in Artscope's online zine CORNERED. Thanks to Brian Goslow and the Artscope staff for their interest! Check it out here.

A lively HIVE gathering at Fruitlands last Wednesday. We introduced six new people to the joys of working collaboratively. Hope to see them again this Thursday from 4-6 pm.

Saturday was the reception for MORPHOLOGY with Kay Hartung at Fountain Street Fine Art. We had a lively bunch and it was fun to meet so many new people. Artist talk this Friday, June 14 at 7:30 pm and a free Needlefelting demo on Wednesday June 19 from 3:30-5pm. Please join us!

Sunday I taught part I of a two-part workshop on Needlefelted Orbs at the Eliot School. A very talented group with interesting stories and approaches. Can't wait to see what they do next Sunday.

Back to work on the final details of my upcoming show THE NOBILITY OF THINGS opening at Fruitlands Museum on June 29. Reception June 29 from 1-3pm. Hope to see you. We're expecting a good time and my son Devon will be providing music!

Carnivale

CARNIVALE DETAIL

Carnivale is about the expression of self, using costume and party to exhibit who you are and who you want to be. This conflicts with Western society beliefs where modest appearances signify depth of character and that integrity originates from within. Ornamental exteriors are suspect and perceived as shallow. In places like Trinidad or New Orleans, the opposite is valued - there is a power behind personal adornment that addresses the nature of spirit, gender and the making of art.

With CARNIVALE, women's clothes are crocheted into large anthropomorphic gestures. At 7 x 11 x 3 feet, it is an exuberant transcendence that extends out from the wall into your space. The technique is adapted from traditional technique but magnified in scale and materials, transforming meaning and form from the humble beginnings of floral blouses and silk jerseys into a celebration of the self. This piece will be part of the exhibit The Nobility of Things at Fruitlands Museum Art Gallery, June 29-August 18 2013.

Over the next month I'll be adding sneak previews of two shows. Please stay tuned!

Morphology
with Kay Hartung
Fountain Street Fine Arts
Framingham MA
May 23 - June 23, 2013
Reception June 8 5-7 pm
Artist Talk June 14 7:30 pm

The Nobility of Things
Fruitlands Museum Art Gallery
Harvard MA
June 29 - August 18, 2013
Reception June 29 1-3 pm

Wrap Up

It is a very busy time, so in the spirit of the season, I'll start by making a list...

A lovely visit by the Fruitlands Museum to Re:Constructed. The exhibition was received with rave reviews and we are all very excited to be making plans for next year's residency.

Reception for Spectrum: A selection of Joy Street Artists last Sunday at the Brickbottom Gallery in Somerville. A great turnout, made some new friends and enjoyed listening to Dave Cohen playing on one of his Equilibrium Guitars. Exhibition includes work by myself, Nathan Miner, Sarah Meyers Brent, Wilhem Neusser, Nancy Moskin and Dave Cohen.

Videographer Chris LeGare and his photographer Cory have been working on documenting Re:Constructed. They have a meticulous process and keen eye for design with lots of great ideas. They'll be filming the HIVE meeting at the gallery this Sunday too.

Facilitated another rewarding workshop at MEDITECH in Westwood. Always amazed by the ingenuity and catharsis that takes place in the span of a lunchtime break!

Meeting with the teen docents of the Danforth Museum, Framingham about a collaborative screen art project for a future biomedical client. Excited to engage with the enthusiasm and talent
of these interesting young adults. 

Completed a third 6 foot charcoal in the TRACES Series.

Will finish up the week with two events this Sunday, Dec. 16:

A HIVE meeting at Carney Gallery, Regis College from 2-4 pm. Please join us if you can. Here's a link for directions. Please park out front in circular drive. The back doors by parking lot will not be open.

And Somerville's Nave Gallery Holiday Party with the closing of Threads Bared, a fiber show curated by Tori Costa including art by myself, Rebecca Aranyi, Susan Berstler, Merill Comeau, Ruth Daniels, Melissa Glick, Kathleen Kneeland, Susan Meier, Charlotte Noruzi, Lauren O'Neal, Amy Pett, Stacey Piwinski, Margaret Ryan, V Van Sant and Ellen Solari